AFP/London
Scotland duo Ross Ford and Jonny Gray are free to play in today’s World Cup quarter-final against Australia after having three week bans for a dangerous tackle overturned on appeal.
Scotland did not rule out using hooker Ford and Gray in the Twickenham game after the surprise ruling by a World Rugby appeal committee.
Ford and Gray were completely absolved of carrying out a double tip tackle on Samoa’s Jack Lam during Scotland’s 36-33 victory last Saturday.
Ford had been found guilty of a dangerous tackle and Gray of a tip tackle.
Their three week ban was imposed on the same day that Argentinian Marcelo Bosch received just a week’s ban for a tip tackle. And Scotland had complained about the severity of the punishment.
“Having conducted a detailed review of all the evidence, including new submissions from the players and their representatives, along with all available camera angles,” said an appeal committee statement.
“The appeal committee dismissed the finding that the players had committed an act of foul play as the player had not been dropped or driven and therefore the tackle was not dangerous,” it added.
“The players are therefore free to play again immediately.”
Neither player had been selected in Vern Cotter’s starting XV for today’s game and it remains to be seen whether the Kiwi coach puts them in at this late stage.
“They are available to us and we are considering our options,” Scotland spokesman Michael James told AFP.
Cotter now faces a dilemma as he had brought in Tim Swinson and Fraser Brown for Gray and Ford respectively. Both have been training all week in preparation for the game.
The Scotland camp was so infuriated by the severity of the bans that their chief executive Mark Dodson raised the matter with World Rugby chief executive Brett Gosper.
Dodson said: “We are delighted to see justice has been done. Ross and Jonny are now free to rejoin the tournament, ahead of the biggest game for Scottish Rugby in recent years.
“We find it hugely disappointing they were put in this position by a judicial process, which is inconsistent and unfair. Justice delayed is justice denied.”
Dodson said earlier this week that “other unions are also seeking better clarity on the use of citing and the interpretation of how key areas of the game are scrutinised and the subsequent levels of punishment set.”
World Rugby issued a statement this week insisting that all players were judged on the same criteeria, no matter if they came from tier one or tier two nations—like the Pacific Island sides such as Tonga, Samoa and Fiji, or Georgia.
Jonny Gray and Ross Ford
